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Prodigal Daughters: Stories of South African Women in Exile |
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Tuesday, 06 November 2012 14:10 |
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By Lauretta Ngcobo
Review by MJ Daymond
 The stories told by the seventeen women who contribute to this compelling volume have two things in common. First is the fact that they have all returned to South Africa, the country they regard as ‘home’, after as many as thirty years of being forced to live in another country. Secondly, they had to find within themselves the strength to survive: “Exile is a vast desert” (82) says Baleka Mbete, and “Exile is about finding the resilience to survive anything” (154) says Ellen Pheko.
Otherwise their stories vary greatly, starting with the reasons that they first left South Africa. There are those who chose to leave but suddenly found themselves stateless when their passports were withdrawn; those who fled for their own safety, often having to leave young children behind; those who dutifully followed their husbands into exile; those who had no choice as they were young children when their parents left; those who were born elsewhere but grew up believing they belonged in South Africa. And while the dominant note in the stories of return is that the women felt “overjoyed to be home again” (195) there is a great variety within this sentiment. Some had spent their years away longing to return; some had made a rewarding life in a new country and were reluctant to uproot again; some, especially those born abroad, feel that they will never know the unquestioning sense of belonging that ‘home’ can give. Many profess a deep, over-riding bond with the country: “Your first and undying love is for your country” (90) says Baleka Mbete, while others emphasise that their time away provided an unchosen but valuable lesson in individual resourcefulness.
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INAUGURAL H.I.E. DHLOMO MEMORIAL LECTURE |
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Friday, 26 October 2012 10:43 |
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The Campbell Collections of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Dhlomo family cordially invite you to the inaugural H.I.E. Dhlomo Memorial Lecture “The Continuing Significance of H.I.E. Dhlomo”.
Date: Saturday, 3 November 2012
Time: 10:00 for 10:30
Venue: Campbell Collections, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 220 Gladys Mazibuko Road (formerly Marriott Rd), Durban
RSVP essential for seating arrangements and catering. Reply on or before Friday, 26 October 2012. Tel: Mwelela Cele on 031 260 1716 or 082 355 0061. Email:
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or
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Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo, better known as H.I.E. Dhlomo, (1903 – 1956) was a key early South African intellectual who helped lay the foundations of the country’s rich literary tradition through his impressive output of drama, poetry, journalism and fiction. He worked alongside luminaries like Sol Plaatje and Thomas Mofolo, at a pivotal age of African modernity. In his work, Dhlomo often invoked the past to explain the present. His social and political commentary grew more strident towards the end of his life, when liberalism proved futile in fighting for the emancipation of Africans. He was one of the pioneers who inspired subsequent generations of thinkers and writers.
The lecture will be presented by Professor Bhekizizwe Peterson, Head of the Department of African Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand. |
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The curious case of Dickens in Durban |
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Tuesday, 16 October 2012 08:53 |
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On a recent trip to the West St Cemetery in Durban, we stumbled across this monument to Charles Dickens of Bleak House. Needless to say, as avid literary tourists, we were fascinated by who erected this and when. Rumour has it that a cousin of Charles Dickens lived in the Eastern Cape at one point, could this be the link? Any information appreciated.
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